Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Congress Wants States To Plan for Aiding Holocaust Survivors

A new provision in the bill funding assistance for the elderly directs the federal government to issue guidance to states on serving Holocaust survivors.

The Jewish Federations of North America lobbied for the inclusion of the provision in the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, first approved in 1965.

In a statement on April 7, the day the Senate reauthorized the Act after the U.S. House of Representatives had already done so, the JFNA praised Congress for the vote and for including the Holocaust survivor provision.

“With more than 1 in 5 Jewish Americans over 65 years old, Federations have been a steadfast supporter of the OAA, which helps enhance vital services at Federation-affiliated agencies,” said William Daroff, the director of JFNA’s Washington office, in the statement.

Federations draw on funding provided through the act for day care and transportation for the elderly and kosher meals on wheels, among other services.

“We are also thrilled about the new provision that will ensure the comfort and security of Holocaust survivors, and look forward to working on its implementation with the Administration for Community Living,” Daroff said.

The act directs the assistant secretary for the aging “to issue guidance to states on serving and conducting outreach to this vulnerable population,” the JFNA said.

Last month, the JFNA distributed the first funds to assist Holocaust survivors made available under a separate federal government program.

Of more than 100,000 survivors in the United States, the JFNA estimates that one in four is 85 or older and that the same number live in poverty.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.